Books are often sold with “If you’re a fan of »

It’s the fans of “Remarkably Bright Creatures” that “Pony Confidential” might appeal. Instead of an octopus that knowingly observes and comments on the weaknesses of the humans in its orbit, “Pony Confidential” features a pony that knowingly observes and comments on the weaknesses of the humans in its orbit. Like “Bright Creatures,” “Pony” is a breeze to read, with fast-paced prose and characters that aren’t extremely nuanced but easy to understand.

The pony has no name, but let’s call him Odysseus, since “Pony Confidential” is a version of “The Odyssey,” in which Odysseus strives mightily to return home to his wife Penelope. Here, the beloved is Penny, who possessed Ulysses as a child but, after being separated from him in mysterious and violent circumstances, has not seen him in decades. Ulysses and Penny both believe they have been abandoned by each other, but during the pony’s journey we learn that something horrible has happened that neither of them knew about.

As Ulysses moves from one adventure (and owner) to the next, it becomes clear that “Pony Confidential” is also a version of “David Copperfield”, which is specifically referenced several times, as is the Barbara Kingsolver’s contemporary version of “Copperfield,” “Demon Copperhead.”

It’s a lot, honestly, but the good news is that you can enjoy “Pony Confidential” even if you’re not familiar with these classics. The pony’s voice is so sarcastic and in the chapters Penny tells after she is wrongly accused of murder and imprisoned, Penny is in such dire straits that you long for her to be released so she can escape to a meadow somewhere and feed Odysseus. a little oats. In particular, Penny’s questions about being a mom — she has a neurodivergent daughter — ring true.

The main character of “Pony Confidential” is more of a wise guy than the gentle octopus of “Bright Creatures,” which works in writer Christina Lynch’s favor. It never seemed true to me that the octopus was so interested in the love lives of the humans around it – surely an animal would care more about where its next shrimp came from than which one a stranger is dating? – and it seems that this also bugged Lynch.

In a conversation between Odysseus and a helpful pigeon (the animals all speak the same language in this book), Odysseus snaps: “I thought for a second you didn’t care about a human love story. » The pony’s heart grows a few sizes over the course of the novel but, more importantly, he learns that a good way to get treats is to pretend he cares about the humans around him.

Like “Bright Creatures,” “Pony” is interested in humans’ relationships with other species and what those relationships reveal about us. And, like “Bright Creatures,” “Pony” concludes that, on occasion, we can be remarkably bright.